


Sensation and Silence

by Leonidas1754



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Deaf Joshua, Gen, No Dialogue, No beta reader we die like mne, Or at least nothing that's traditionally dialogue, it's all weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 14:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19022119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonidas1754/pseuds/Leonidas1754
Summary: Joshua contemplates his existence, the silence surrounding him, the sensation replacing sound, and Shibuya.





	Sensation and Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Someone in a TWEWY RP Discord I'm in reminded me that I wrote this once. No idea where I was going with it but it's an interesting little piece, I think. Hope you enjoy!

The term ‘Noise’ always amused Joshua.

He laid in the middle of the empty room, sunlight pouring through the windows and warming his spread wings. He stared at the blank ceiling, palms spread to the sky. The vibrations rattled through him, filling his body with the energy of his city, weaving through his blood, pulling at his heart, and shaking him to the bone. The Composer drank it in, relishing in the way the beat pulsed through him.

A few irregular taps yanked his attention away from the heartbeat of his city. He sat up slowly and turned to see Hanekoma standing in the doorway, giving him a small wave. His mouth moved, and Joshua simply nodded in response. It was old information, but it was important for them to be on the same page when it came to taking care of the district. It wasn’t long, though, before he was alone again.

He debated on lying down again, but decided against it, instead standing and walking to a different door. His bare feet were cold against the floor but he didn’t mind. He could feel the heartbeat of his world with each step he took, helping to soothe that dull ache in his chest.

So quiet.

This place was so big and bright. And yet Joshua could see the darkness at the corners of his vision, the shadows that threatened to bury him alive and leave him to the horrible, dreadful silence. He curled his toes and tapped out a small rhythm. Harmonizing with his district had always been strangely, remarkably easy, one could say unnaturally so. But still…

So quiet.

Shibuya played loud and clear for those who inhabited it, a love song to those who loved, and challenge for those who wanted to be challenged, a comfort for those seeking comfort. The song wrapped around hearts and minds and made people thrive with creative energy. The Composer helped rein in and control the flow so that it didn’t run wild and turn into chaos. Some days were easier than others, that much was true, but in that it was just like any other job. At least it was one he enjoyed, but sometimes it drove him crazy.

He hated how quiet it was sometimes.

He looked down at where his Reapers were gathered, preparing for another Game. Kariya’s mouth, as everything else about him, moved lazily around his lollipop as he addressed his partner. Uzuki was as sharp and frantic as usual, but with that determined infliction that made Joshua happy to have her as a Reaper. Sho, on the other hand, moved smoothly, coherently, a sharp contrast to his rather incoherent nature. Joshua made a mental note to talk to Hanekoma about him again later. They couldn’t keep him on wall duty forever, but at the same time they had to be careful of him causing trouble again. At least he made things interesting, the Composer mused.

They were all so quiet, though.

Joshua remembered how much hassle he’d gotten when he’d first become Composer. Everyone was convinced he would fail. There’d been a few bumps in the road, sure, but now he was head of a thriving district, and no one could argue that overall, he was successful. He’d agreed with them, if only to himself, in the beginning though. By all means, he shouldn’t have been able to do this. He probably shouldn’t have even been able to make it through the Game as a Player in the first place. Not after the world went silent on him. It was amazing, how one blaring sound could be the end. He’d sort of hoped it would be fixed when he died, but he supposed he couldn’t be that lucky.

When you’re at such a disadvantage, you learn what you can to make others forget that you aren’t on the same level. For Joshua, he learned to read lips, bodies, heartbeats, vibrations.

So quiet.

So quiet.

He wondered if he’d be a better Composer if he’d been like anyone else. But then he figured to himself that he wouldn’t even be here otherwise. He still wasn’t sure whether that in itself was good or bad.

So quiet.

Too quiet.

Joshua sighed. He turned and walked back to the room, laying down again. Wings spread, palms up, eyes closed. Shibuya’s rhythm coursed through him, a heartbeat matching his own.

So quiet.

So quiet.

What if one day, it just… stopped? It was a scary thought, but at the same time, hadn’t that been his goal? For every sound, every pulse, every heartbeat of the city to stop. And he’d almost done it, too. Had it not been for Neku, and those who’d become his friends, Shibuya would be silent now. Not that it was much of a difference for Joshua. Still, even if he couldn’t enjoy it, the people living in Shibuya had the right to listen as much as anyone. It’d be downright cruel of him to cut that off, even if he’d once thought they didn’t deserve it. 

Sometimes, everything was very loud. Like right now.

The new Players were having the rules explained, many of them gasping in shock and crying when they realized that they were dead. Nothing new, Josh mused, and he couldn’t exactly blame them. After all, they were all young and energetic, in their prime, and if not for circumstance they’d be going about their lives as usual. He wondered if any of this week’s Players would become Reapers, if any indeed made it to the end. They needed the new people, after the disaster of that third week of his game with Kitanaji.

New people were loud and energetic and vibrant. They were the reason Shibuya was so alive, why each of them were so alive. And they were all broken in their own way. Usually, the Game helped teach them what they needed, just as Shiki got over her jealousy and Neku learned to let people in and Beat let himself live for someone else. Joshua wasn’t sure he’d learned anything himself. Maybe his lesson was how to accept that he had to exist this way.

In silence.

Shibuya’s song tugged at him again with the same voice it had for a few weeks now.  _ Come, come meet us. I trust you. Let’s hang out, okay? _

Joshua wondered if Neku knew what he was doing, using the district itself to reach him. Probably not. That was how Neku was. He didn’t know just how far his power stretched, even while he was alive. Shibuya liked him. Joshua wondered if he’d eventually become Composer anyways.

_ Neku misses you. I never really met you, but I’d like to. _

Another voice. Shiki was wary of him, as she should be, but open. She trusted her partner, and knew Neku trusted his.

_ Hey dude, why don’t you come already? You’re bein’ even more of a pain in the ass not bein’ here, y’know? You scared or somethin’? _

Hah, scared. Now there was a thought. Beat always go to the heart of things. Seemed he didn’t know any other way.

_ Joshua? You should take your time, but… If you wait too long, things will pass you by. _

Advice he really should take. Rhyme was wise beyond her years, which made Joshua jealous in a strange way.

Of course Neku’s friends had picked up on his ability to use the music of the district. He heard the five of them often now, asking him to come hang out, to show his face, to simply  _ respond _ . He wanted to, he truly did, but what would be the point? Their lives were far better without him in them.

Joshua existed in silence. The Music of his district wasn’t music but a sensation in his very bones, developing him in enough vibration to rattle him apart. So he let his mind fade for now, to dream of a world where the sounds of so long ago could soothe his soul.


End file.
